In our fast-paced world, we often long and crave Peace. A moment to sit and rest without guilt and distraction.
We seek Peace in all sorts of ways from alcohol, shopping, food, cleaning, and the list could go on and on. But where and how can we find this lasting relief? How do we acquire this Peace that is boundless, the tranquillity that truly satisfies our souls?
I, too, tried to silence the scream of fear and anxiety with anything that hinted at relief. It was always brief and seemed to grow worse with age.
You see, kingdom peace is not found in the outside world. It comes from within where the Spirit of Life resides.
Jesus tells us in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; My Peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
When I first became a Christian at 23, I was just thankful to be saved from hell. I didn't know that my true identity was to be found in the living word of God, I had no idea I could talk to God, and He heard me and even wanted to help me. I didn't know the Prince Of Peace took up residence in me.
When we accept Jesus, we received so much more than our simplistic meaning of salvation.
We welcome the Spirit of Jesus into our hearts, minds, and bodies. And if we allow Him to move and have our being, we will walk in supernatural Peace, protection, and love.
The opposite of Peace would be frustration, discontentment, fear, discouragement. Do these sound familiar to you? When we let go and welcome God into this space of negative emotions, He can work miracles. But we have to invite Him, and sometimes this is a minute-by-minute surrender.
Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
"Come" is a verb. It's an action we must take in order to receive His rest.
So often, we are scared of these emotions and feel "wrong" for even having them as a Christian. So we will try to cover them up with a happy face, a tidy home, and well-mannered kids; we eat and eat and eat, do better and achieve more. These counterfeit comforts are a superficial effort for us to escape in our own power.
God is not offended by our big emotions. He never turns away from us because we are scared, discouraged, or frustrated. But we must come to Him.
He is calling us into His lap to comfort and show us His mercy and goodness.
He wants to be there for us, to help and guide our way. He is the King of our bodies, minds, and spirit.
Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints.
Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; You Lord, protect me from trouble; You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance.
Can I get an AMEN!!
Shouts of deliverance!
So let us hand over ownership to Him. He is incredibly wiser, kinder, more loving, and gentle of a King than we could ever be.
On the floor therapy
We find our way to freedom by prayer, worship, and communion with the Holy Spirit. This is a daily walk and practice.
When I decided to go to God for comfort and healing instead of food, I would go to my room and cry out to Him. I would sob years worth of pent of tears, journal, worship, and be still before Him.
Don't be fooled
When you surrender to God, the enemy will try and attack you.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Tactics of the enemy:
Lies to you in your thoughts:
"This is useless and a waste of time, reminding you how stupid you must sound, crying out to a God no one can see. "
You don't "feel" better, so it must not be working
Bring every distraction you can think of
continually bring you back to try to do it in your own power
I was steadfast in bringing my emotions to the Lord and still have to practice this. It's not a one-time thing and I"m "cured."
We have to renew our minds for the rest of our time on earth.
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
This is where I picked up the cross of the finished work of Jesus, denied my flesh, and walked with the Holy Spirit.
In this space of raw vulnerability, I did not hold back. I brought all thoughts and emotions to the Lord, and over about a month, I noticed I wasn't binging on food.
Peace was taking up more space than the constant desire to numb. Peace started becoming my companion, and this created a new way of handling intense emotions without food.
This may not seem like your average process (according to the worlds way) to overcoming fear and experiencing peace and freedom. But the Kingdom often runs backward to our world's way.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Our Wonderful Father is Love, Joy, and Peace. He is so good and gives out of this world gifts to His children.
Will you join me in practicing sitting before the Lord with ALL of our emotions and letting His mercy and kindness wash over us?
Practice this today by simply sharing your day with Him and all its ups and downs.
Shelby Rosecrans is a mother of 3, wife and homeschooler. She is a member of the Tapestry Of Beauty Team. A woman after the heart of the Lord and devoted sister in Christ to many.